Engine malfunction forced Concorde landing

An engine malfunction is being blamed for forcing an emergency landing of a British Airways Concorde with 50 passengers on board today.

The Concorde landed safely today after one of its engines malfunctioned at 58,000 feet.

The plane developed problems halfway into the three-and-a-half hour 11.05am Flight BA001 from Heathrow to New York’s JFK Airport.

The captain decided to shut down engine number three, which had developed a ‘‘power surge’’ and was not running at the same power as the other three engines.

The plane, with three pilots and a number of other cabin crew, then turned round and headed back to Heathrow, flying at subsonic speed and landing safely at 2.06pm.

The Concorde, Alpha Echo, was travelling at a supersonic speed of 1,300mph when the engine trouble developed.

A spokesman for BA said: ‘‘The plane was halfway across the Atlantic when the captain felt there was a problem with one of the engines, while travelling at a supersonic speed.

‘‘The captain followed standard procedure and decided to shut the engine down and turn the aeroplane round. It came back to Heathrow perfectly safely on three engines travelling at a subsonic speed.

‘‘The problem engine surged, there was too much power going through that engine, number three engine, so you don’t fly in a straight line. The airplane did not veer, of course, but the captain felt the surge in power and decided to shut it down and turn around.’’

The spokesman added: ‘‘It is perfectly safe to fly on three engines.

‘‘The engine problem is completely unrelated to the Paris crash.

‘‘The plan is to put the passengers on the next available flight. The Concorde will be taken to a hangar and our engineers will take a look at the engine.’’

The mid-air scare comes almost two years after Paris Concorde disaster in which more than 100 passengers and crew were killed.

The Air France Concorde crashed shortly after take-off on July 25, 2000.

BA has seven Concordes but only four are currently in service, including Alpha Echo, the airline said today.

One Concorde is currently being modified, one is due to be modified and another one is in the hangar out of service.

The modifications are being made to the planes’ fuel lines and tanks following recommendations after the Paris crash.